I probably wasn't the only one looking at the program for last week's Columbus Symphony concerts and saying "Who's Tito Munoz?' when I noticed the guest conductor. I went and interviewed him. He was a nice man. Very young-born in 1983! He is a New Yorker and a graduate of the famous High School of Music and Art. He was opening the program with a brief work by an under-exposed American composer, the wonderful Henry Cowell. I suggested he chat up the audience a bit, since Cowell would not be well-known to the crowd. Here's Munoz conducting the New England Conservatory orchestra: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIZTzZtl49k Crowd? Did I say crowd? Attendance was very sparse indeed. I was almost embarrassed. Come on folks, everyone is giving lip service to this wonderful orchestra until its time to purchase tickets and fill the Ohio Theatre. If you weren't in the audience this past weekend, you missed a sensational, repeat sensational young conductor. Munoz conducted Cowell, Sibelius and Rachmaninoff 'like buttah.' I have seldom heard such effortless control and purely gorgeous sound from any conductor. Mr. Munoz gave us the Columbus Symphony at its world class best. There was a magnificent soloist for the Sibelius Violin concerto, Elina Vahala. It's terrible but true - I'd pay good money just to look at her.(Don't quote me on this) In fact, Vahala is a thrilling musician. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UznQlqO7pTw We had a glorious orchestra, a great conductor who seemed to come out of nowhere and a radiant soloist. And lousy houses. Come on folks, what do you want? Lesson learned here. The next time the CSO offers a program with a couple of unknows-to us-GO ANYWAY! If you weren't there this past weekend, you missed one of the best concerts I've heard in years. You'll have a chance to hear the concert on Classical 101 during on our new Columbus Symphony broadcast series, next spring.
Christopher Purdy is Classical 101's early morning host, 7-10 a.m. weekdays. He is host and producer of Front Row Center – Classical 101’s weekly celebration of Opera and more – as well as Music in Mid-Ohio, Concerts at Ohio State, and the Columbus Symphony broadcast series. He is the regular pre-concert speaker for Columbus Symphony performances in the Ohio Theater.